Development and Characterization of Electrospun Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyhexanoate) (PHBH) Biopapers
[EN] In this study, electrospun poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyhexanoate) (PHBH) biopapers were produced by annealing electrospun fiber mats from two commercial grades (151C and X131A) and compared with films prepared by the conventional melt-mixing/compression molding method. To obtain continuo...
| Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | article |
| Publication Date: | 2026 |
| Country: | España |
| Institution: | Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV) |
| Repository: | RiuNet. Repositorio Institucional de la Universitat Politécnica de Valéncia |
| Language: | English |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:dnet:riunet______::4fa97e0f1828c44dfbfc2dd3a7b970ed |
| Online Access: | https://riunet.upv.es/handle/10251/236012 |
| Access Level: | Open access |
| Keyword: | PHBH Electrospinning Biopapers Compression molding Food packaging |
| Summary: | [EN] In this study, electrospun poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyhexanoate) (PHBH) biopapers were produced by annealing electrospun fiber mats from two commercial grades (151C and X131A) and compared with films prepared by the conventional melt-mixing/compression molding method. To obtain continuous biopapers, the fiber mats were subjected to mild thermal post-processing at various temperatures. The selected annealing temperatures were 140 degrees C (151C) and 130 degrees C (X131A), where interfiber coalescence occurred within a short annealing time (10 s), yielding continuous fibrous films (biopapers). To elucidate the structural mechanisms underlying interfiber coalescence, time-resolved synchrotron SAXS/WAXS and temperature-dependent FTIR spectroscopy were performed. These analyses showed that coalescence occurred through an interplay between thermally induced local ordering at sub-melting temperatures and premelting/partial melting of thin, ill-defined lamellae, with grade-dependent contributions. The resulting biopapers were evaluated against compression-molded films for optical, mechanical, and barrier properties relevant to packaging. All samples showed similar transparency, although compression-molded films were slightly more opaque. The lower-rigidity grade (151C) exhibited more ductile and tougher behavior than X131A. Biopapers showed slightly lower water and oxygen barrier performance than compression-molded films, attributed to differences in material compactness. Overall, brief mild annealing after electrospinning enabled continuous PHBH biopapers with balanced properties, supporting their potential for sustainable PHBH-based food-packaging applications. |
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